Breakroom Nights
by FormidableJoy
Summary: A number of non-linear one shots based on a prompt on Castlefanficprompts blog: '"Please tell me you did not sleep in the breakroom again." Scenes of Castle finding Beckett sleeping in the breakroom.'
1. Chapter 1

"Please tell me you did not sleep in the breakroom again."

She cringes when the words reach her. "I… Maybe?" she responds, turning from the murder board to see her partner's disapproving expression.

"Good thing I bring you coffee. Though it's no substitute for an actual full night of sleep." He holds up his hand as she begins to protest. "And don't try to tell me you slept well on that lumpy thing. I know you only snatched a few minutes."

She wants to huff petulantly in response, but he holds to cure to her admittedly exhausted state. "Thank you for the advice, Rick." Her voice is sugary sweet and he just knows how his words have wound her up (not his intention _at all_ , of course). "Please may I have my coffee now?"

He's tempted to withhold the beverage some more, but getting between Beckett and coffee is risky enough on a good day. After a night of poor sleep? He decides he's poke the bear enough and dutifully hands over the Styrofoam.

The look of utter bliss on Kate's face as she takes her first sip of the vanilla-laced liquid is reward enough. And the grateful smile she shoots his way is the reason he keeps supplying her with caffeine every day. If he manages to make her smile just once in the middle of a frustrating case after a tough night, he thinks he's done his duty as her partner.

"Anything new?"

She makes a disgruntled noise and he hides a smirk. "I had another go at our suspect but he's still not talking. The fingerprints at the scene were a bust, and we still haven't found our runaway witness." She jumps up from the edge of her desk, running a hand through her hair as she surveys the murder board. "We've got nothing, Castle. The case has stalled and we've got nothing."

Castle takes in the detective's tense shoulders, the dark circles under her eyes and the prominent vein across her forehead. "Come on," he says, standing abruptly and holding his arm out to her. "Come with me."

"What?"

"You've been cooped up in here all night and had next to no sleep. You need a break."

"I can't take a break, Castle. I can't take a nap in the middle of the day while there's an active case."

He wisely chooses not to point out that it is far from the middle of the day. In fact it's early morning, and the working day has begun for only a handful of the precinct's cops. Instead, he shakes his head, taking a risk and snagging her elbow when she steadfastly refuses to take his arm. "I'm not asking you to sleep, Beckett. Half an hour, with me. Come on."

Despite herself, there's a glint of intrigue in her expression, and after a moment's hesitation and further cajoling from the writer, she allows him to lead her across the bullpen and into the elevators. "This better be good."

A walk in the nearby park with Castle is apparently just what she needs. The fresh air combined with her coffee serve to clear her mind and dampen her frustration. She even acquiesces and loops her arms through Castle's, a manoeuver that is uncommon in their friendship.

Castle talks quietly to her, eliciting the occasional laugh, and for that she's grateful. It's true what she once told him; he does make her difficult job easier. For his part, Rick feels no small amount of pride at each laugh. And it doesn't hurt that her vocalisation of her amusement is contagious and he finds himself grinning along with her.

As promised, he leads them back to the precinct and has her back at her desk within half an hour. She's surprised to find some regret at having to return to her case. She's just about to murmur her thanks to her partner when Ryan calls across to her.

"Our suspect's in Interrogation One. Thought it was time to take another shot."

"You feel better?" Castle speaks low in her ear.

She nods reluctantly. She just knows he's going to boast about being right for the foreseeable future.

He gives her a gentle nudge in the direction of interrogation. "Then go get him, detective."

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you for reading! If anyone has any ideas/prompts for future chapters, please let me know and I'll see what I can do._


	2. Chapter 2

The bullpen in bathed in an orange glow when he enters. A couple of desk lights illuminate a tight bright circle but the main source comes from the rising sun peaking between Manhattan's high rises and filtering in through windows, blinds and offices. In stark contrast to the daytime bustle, it's inherently peaceful and the sleepy hum of electrical equipment provides the only noise. His footfalls therefore are noticeable and Castle raising a coffee in greeting to one of the only officers on the floor.

The bullpen is devoid of the person he wants yet rounding into the break room, his eyes immediately fall to the person he seeks. He deposits his goods and crouches before the welcome sight, feeling his heart surge with love and protect and just… fullness.

"Kate," he whispers, using her first name even though they're in the precinct. Her sleeping face is so vulnerable with no trace of the formidable cop that he can't fathom addressing her with her surname.

She blinks awake and is alert in seconds. And really, she's such a light sleeper that he doubts she gained much rest last night. There are always a couple of cops pulling an all-nighter on a troublesome case (though some officers more than others, he thinks) and they doubtless disturbed her.

They've only been dating a few months but it didn't take many nights of joining her in bed after late-night writing sessions for him to learn just how easy she is to wake. He hasn't told her (likely never will) but he finds her adorable; whether she utters a welcoming hum and snuggles up to his chest, or she grunts and pulls the duvet up around her ears.

"Time?" she croaks as she scrapes a hand though her thoroughly mussed hair; that action must have been repeated at least a dozen times last night during her deliberation of the murderboard.

He plops down next to her once she's manoeuvred into a sitting position. "Six-thirty." He reaches up to rearrange an errant lock and tucks it behind an ear, gliding his fingers down the long slope of her neck when he retreats.

"I… What? But you…?"

Okay, not as awake as he thought. She even settles against him, breaking her rules about dropping the Detective Beckett mask and revealing Kate in the precinct.

"Knew you'd be here." The case has been ongoing for a week and as the detective's frustration has increased, so has the length of time she has been staying at the precinct. From experience, it was only a matter of time before she pulled an all-nighter. He places a kiss to his sleepy partner's hair and gestures to the table before them. "I thought breakfast would be in order."

He watches her eyes light up predictably when she notices the coffee, and then dim slightly as she takes in the cup of takeaway porridge next to it. He can't help but laugh at her adorably scrunched up nose.

"Nutrition first, Beckett. I'll fetch you a bear claw later."

She huffs but nevertheless leans forward towards the cartons. She passes his coffee over and settles against him again, cradling her own to her chest after taking a large gulp. He winces as he watches her, only able to take sips of his own scorching liquid. Evidently, the caffeine has yet to take hold as her eyes droop and he feels her body sink against him. She's soft and warm at his side and as he loops an arm around to draw her in at her waist, he hopes it'll be sometime before they're interrupted. Detective Beckett is remarkable and exciting and fierce. But with her mask dropped, Kate is still all those things, _and_ he's allowed to cuddle her close.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you everyone for reading! I am very grateful for all the reviews of the last chapter, and for the prompts for future chapters. I'll get started on those prompts as soon as I can._

 _To the guest reviewer you so very nicely asked for more of 'Give me Something to Believe in' - I am still writing it, and do have a fair amount of unpublished material. However, I need to ensure the detail in the next few chapters is correct, otherwise the whole story may fall apart. So I am working on getting many chapters written before I post them, just to ensure I don't miss something. But thank you for your interest - I'll do my best to work as quickly as I can._


End file.
